Chapter 9 - A Gentlemens Heart is Like Iron

Chapter 9 - A Gentlemen’s Heart is Like Iron

Lin Shu closed his eyes to meditate in accordance with what the man in blue told him.

But he suddenly heard him saying, “Fellow cultivator, are you here to take an exam for Immortal Sanctuary of Dao?”

Lin Shu, “Yes.”

He replied but suddenly recalled that this examination system called him ‘fellow cultivator’ from the start. Could it be that he had brought his own discerning ability?

“Since it’s like this,” the man in blue cleared his throat. “The first part of the first test, the Qi mechanism flow through Great Heavenly Circulation, please execute it.”

Lin Shu could feel the meridians and acupuncture points in his body were clear indeed, which was different from his real body.

The Great and Small Heavenly Circulations were the foundations the become a Daoist with Qi. Everyone could do the Small Heavenly Circulation but the Great Heavenly Circulation was a bit more complicated and practice makes perfect for that. Breathe out, gather Qi on your lower abdomen, immerse it in the Qi Sea, down to Yong Yuan and breath in again, along the Governing Meridian to the Three Passes, reach Baihui on top of the head and ending at the tip of the tongue, circulating through one’s course. There is a minor difference on the specific path in every class of Neigong, but with the same outcome—Eight Extraordinary Meridians, 720 large meridians, all of them having the Qi Mechanism flowing through in a cycle and continuously. With every Great Heavenly Circulation, the Qi Mechanism in your body will grow deeper, the so-called ‘cultivation’, accumulated from the usage of Heavenly Circulation over a long period of time.

After Lin Shu was brought home by his Teacher, he started to learn the acupuncture points and the Great and Small Heavenly Circulation, so it went smoothly this round.

The man in blue clapped in admiration. “This is the foundation you have laid down since childhood, I admire that. In the second part of the first test, please listen carefully.”

He only heard him reciting softly:

“Zhong Chong, a lonely wild goose breaking the skies,

Lao Gong, breaking the solitary several times,

From Da Ling to Jian Shi,

Qu Ze, Tian Chi, not showing off.”

The meaning of this poem was that since one had to circulate the Qi Mechanism from the hand acupuncture point, Zhongchong, to the chest acupuncture point, Tianchi. It has to pass through four large acupuncture points in between—Laogong, Daling, Jianshi and Quze. The path conformed to the norms without any complications. Lin Shu did what he was told, wondering along the way whether the two brothers, Li Jimao and Li Yamao, who couldn’t recognize many characters, could understand the poetry.

After he was done, that system recited the next one immediately for five times, he was considered to have passed this part.

The voice of the system carried a slight smile, “The first part of the third test. The heavy water on the mountain returns without a road,

the willow trees make the shade and the flowers give the light.

Fellow Daoist opens his eyes by no means, do the Great Heavenly Circulation first.”

Lin Shu did according to his words and felt someone connecting the dots on his back, sealing a few of his acupuncture points, Jian Jing and Zhang Men.

As an immortal cultivator, if there was a problem with talent, or injury, poison or a problem in cultivating, there would be problems arising from acupuncture points and meridians easily and it will disrupt the operation of Great Heavenly Circulation. At this time, one needs to use his Qi Mechanism to break through his acupuncture points, expand his meridians or divert other meridians. It all depends on one’s control of the Qi Mechanism.

Lin Shu controlled the Qi Mechanism in his body to break through the obstacles in his Jian Jing rigidly and bypassed Zhang Men, to fetch Tian Zong, and barely made it through one cycle of the Great Heavenly Circulation. Then, he slowly gathered Qi with the help of Great Heavenly Circulation, gradually breaking open his Feng Men. The Jian Jing and Feng Men were opened and the obstacles at Zhang Men were relaxed, and it came crumbling down after a few cycles of the Great Heavenly Circulation.

The system once again touched his acupoints with both his hands and sealed a few key meridians.

——This part was actually to test his basic skills, so no matter how the system messed his acupoints, there was always a rule to abide by. After a few cycles, the obstacles were broken through one by one by Lin Shu.

The system softly said, “Good”. Just when Lin Shu thought it was over, he felt a strong wind appear in front of him and went straight for his Shan Zhong acupoint on his chest!

His movements were faster than his intuition and avoided that finger. His right hand went forward, capturing the system’s wrists, preventing him from moving forward. Then, he opened his eyes.

The system was restrained by him and said with a smile in his eyes, “Fellow cultivator should originally meditate and not make a move.”

Lin Shu released the system’s hands. “Shouldn’t injure Yu Zhong.”

Yu Zhong was the place to gather of Qi Mechanism, even if one went down the wrong path, as long as it was not anything against the tide, the Yu Zhong would be fine. But if the Yu Zhong suffered damage from an external force, half his life would be gone already, it would be more hopeless for immortal cultivation.

The system laughed. “You have already seen through the puzzle, you are really quick-witted.”

Lin Shu, “......”

This system also knew how to fool someone.

——He wondered if he could pass the Turing test.

As he was thinking, the system asked him in a concerned tone, “Are you tired?”

Lin Shu replied, “Not tired.”

The system said, “Then, I will start the second examination immediately.”

——Perhaps, he could really pass the Turing test.

He wondered how much profound and magical formation was needed to be able to make such a Shangling Dreamscape. At least, the things that he knew in his past life was insufficient. The Daoist teaching in this world was probably was more abundant than the ones he had in his past life.

Oh, he had only seen one sect in his past life and an immortal cultivator. It was his own Teacher from his own sect. The old man once brought up that there used to be other sects, but they didn’t have any prospects and couldn’t find any good disciples. They gradually declined and became human beings, and they lost contact during the war. His sect was the only seedling left in the entire Immortal Path.

——This seedling was harmed by the lightning rod and was sent away here by the Heaven Law. The original world of that Immortal Path had probably ended.

System, “Fellow cultivator?”

Lin Shu got back to his senses.

The system laughed, “Fellow cultivator, you’re really cute.”

Lin Shu, “......”

There’s something wrong with this system.

“The second examination,” The system sat with crossed legs together with him and said, “Please solve ‘forget me’.”

He was dressed in blue and laughed kindly, and looked into Lin Shu’s eyes, making him feel a bit uneasy. But thinking that he was a virtual image, he reluctantly accepted it. It wasn’t that difficult for him to talk, unlike speaking to someone alive, he could answer nouns to solve the question.

“During meditation, concentrate internally and externally, nothingness in reincarnation, with the Heaven and Earth......”

He paused for a while at “Heaven and Earth” and thought about when he was meditating and had a profound experience in the past, it wasn’t as what the ancient records said, he didn’t have a realization on the Heaven and Earth unlike what ancient books said. He only stared blankly into space and passed over. He said, “Nothingness in reincarnation, forget things, forget life, forget about me.”

The system nodded. The next question was going to be very tricky, like it was set according to his previous answer, “Please solve ‘Heaven and Earth’.”

This question was not easy to answer indeed, as the words had a different meaning under different contexts. He thought for a while and decided it was better for him to answer it in a more philosophical perspective, “Heaven is the unreachable top, Earth is the unreachable bottom.”

The system said lost in thoughts, “According to fellow cultivator’s words, manpower is weak and there will finally be an unreachable place. Between life and the Heaven and Earth, it’s like being born in a birdcage, exhausted for life, unable to peek outside the confinement, is that right?”

Lin Shu nodded.

The system grinned, “If that’s the case, can fellow cultivator please solve ‘carefree’.”

Lin Shu, “......”

This system was proficient.

He explained according to his own understanding but the system found another blind spot in his answer again and asked a tricky question. With tens of that back and forth, he asked more and more overbearingly. Lin Shu answered truthfully, although there were some parts he was unable to express, he could hold on his own.

Bai Xiaosheng said that there were 20 questions in the second examination, Lin Shu counted and on to the 20th, the system didn’t continue asking but came up with another topic.

Please explain “‘Heaven Law is consistent, human way shows promise’.”

Lin Shu was perplexed.

He recalled the times when he was 10 years old.

On the previous night, his Teacher had just taught him ‘Heaven Law is consistent, human way shows promise”. It is talking about how the entire heaven operates on its own law. Since ancient times, even the ‘science’ now, they were also looking into all these things. And between life and the Heaven and Earth, the mortals have grasped onto these laws and complied with them—like planting in spring and growing in summer, harvesting in autumn and collecting in winter and one can gain something from it. On the other hand, an immortal cultivator pitches towards Heaven and Earth, and come to understand this “consistency”, assimilating with it. His state of mind and cultivation would have a huge improvement.

That day, it was like any other day. He had a profound experience, practiced with his sword, attended school quietly, listened to lessons and got off school.

He had already forgotten what lesson he had attended and only remembered the bell at the end of the day. The wave of the crowd rushed out of school like a tide and he was pushed by the crowd from the classroom to the stairs, and from the stairs to the school gate. He looked up at the sky in the chaos and felt he being swept along the current like that. Everything he could see, smell and experience, whether he was willing or not, doing it or not, were all a part of this powerful current. And his body was among them, he couldn’t do anything at all.

The entire Heaven and Earth naturally had its own law, but that was unrelated to him.

Maybe it was because the system’s gaze was overly gentle and kind but it wasn’t a real person. He wanted to answer with the arguments his Teacher had taught him, but with a gaze like this, he slowly said what he was thinking inside him.

“Between life and the Heaven and Earth......” He said, “it’s like dripping water......in the rivers. It might be sail along the current or against the current. That is where the human way is promising.”

The system slowly nodded and its gaze was gentle, allowing him to continue on.

“However, the river would enter the sea eventually. That is the law of Heaven and Earth.”

The system questioned him warmly, “Fellow cultivator, is there anymore?”

Lin Shu replied honestly, “I don’t know how to explain.”

The system asked, “Heaven Law is consistent, what about the people?”

“They are nothing.”

The system asked once again, “Heaven Law is consistent, what about you?”

“I am nothing.”

The system laughed heartily.

He scanned Lin Shu up and down once. “Heaven Law is consistent, you are nothing. Fellow cultivator, you have a natural Daoist mind. You were born to be separated from the crowd, you should seek Daoism.”

Lin Shu didn’t want to say a word.

In the past, he used to think he was mentally ill and should visit a doctor. His teacher had also told him he had a natural Daoist mind and there was no need to be perturbed.

His Teacher’s words were not accurate, just like how he thought his own Teacher had a mental illness and should visit a doctor. But the old man said the end was drawing near, the Heaven Law is summoning him. But in the end, he had a sudden stroke and was considered an unnatural death, not a natural death at all.

The system continued asking him, “The Heavenly Path is a birdcage and river to you and break away from the Heavenly Path, how about that?”

Lin Shu replied, “As you wish.”

The system seemed to have taken it that he had agreed silently and stood up and made a bow to him, “A gentleman’s heart is like iron, there are no changes. Fellow cultivator, Daoism is for you. Daoism is lonely, without any relatives or friends, and is valuable.”

His gaze was warm and clean, with earnest concern and expectations, leaving a strand of grievance in his heart.

He said silently, “I don’t, I really don’t have any opinions.”